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"Footloose" Trailer

Kenny Wormald and Julianne Hough star in the remake of the Kevin Bacon classic about an outsider who falls for the local preacher's kid and goes to war against a small town's ban on dancing teenagers. Opens Oct. 14. (Published Thursday, June 23, 2011)

With the "Footloose" remake due Oct. 14, it's amazing that it actually took "Dirty Dancing" this long to get under way.

Kenny Ortega, the choreographic visionary that turned dry-humping into an acceptable public display and thus launched a dance-floor craze, a hit film and a hit soundtrack, has been hired to direct a remake of "Dirty Dancing," reported Deadline.

From Lionsgate's press release announcing the project:

The new film is a celebration of one of the most beloved movies of all time. Paying tribute to the emotional excitement of first love, the thrills and complexity of sexual awakening, the soul stirring power of dance, and the classic tale of teenage Baby’s forbidden romance with Johnny Castle, the remake will incorporate classic songs from the 1960s, hits from the original film and brand new compositions.

“Amazingly it has been almost 25 years since the original film was released, but the fans remain legion, and engaged more than ever with a brand that is special and vital to them. We believe that the timing couldn’t be better to modernize this story on the big screen, and we are proud to have Kenny Ortega at the helm.” said Drake.

Said Ortega of the project, “The opportunity to direct DIRTY DANCING is like returning home for me. Growing up in the 60’s on the dance floor helped define me as a person and as an artist. I am looking forward to assembling a great creative team and an exciting cast to bring DIRTY DANCING to the screen for a new generation. Patrick Swayze set the bar for men dancing in the movies as Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire did before him. I believe everywhere you look there is evidence that the talent is out there and I can’t wait to begin the process of discovering the next breakout triple-threats.”

The original was made for a measly $6 million, and went on to make more than $20 million at the box office, to say nothing of the millions made from home video and TV --the thing was a juggernaut, both financially and culturally. To this day people are growling, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner," and just this year, Ryan Gosling and Emma Watson recreated the film's iconic leaping scene in "Crazy Stupid Love."